Preparing a site on a Web server

Web servers respond to requests for particular Web pages by sending the result of processing those pages to the viewer. For static pages, this generally involves simply returning the page as is to the viewer. For a dynamic Web page, this involves executing all of the code on the page and returning the result to the viewer. To execute the code on the page, some additional context for the page may be required, such as libraries or configuration files that define the execution environment for the page. The exact details of the configuration files for dynamic Web sites vary from server to server. This section describes the setup procedure for some common servers.

When a server processes a request, it uses the URL to identify a specific page. The first part of the URL names the server and port number. The default port number, if none is specified in the URL, is 80. The Web server listens for requests on that port. There can be more than one Web server running on a given machine, each on a different port. The next part of the URL begins a path name that ends with the specific page name. For example:

http://www.adobe.com/products/main.html

The first name after the server name, in this example, products, is the first segment in a path name of pages stored within the server. Usually, a particular Web server will host more than one site. The files of all Web sites on the server can be stored in folders in the Web root folder of the server. Alternatively, the folders that hold the Web sites can be placed in other locations in the server's file system and pointers can be created in the Web server configuration that point to the actual folders containing the sites. These pointers are referred to by different names: aliases (Apache), virtual directories (Microsoft IIS and PWS), and contexts (Tomcat). In each case, a name identifies the site, and there may be additional information associated with the site.

Note: The Dynamic Content Module can be disabled in the GoLive Module Manager. If Dynamic Content is not available under the Windows menu, you must first enable the module. See Setting preferences.

To prepare a site on a Web server:

1. Place the site on the Web server.

If Golive, your site, and Web server software are all running on the same machine (Scenario 1), simply proceed to the next step. If the Web server is on a separate machine, you need to create a folder for the site on the Web server before proceeding. You may have to ask the system administrator or your ISP how best to do this and where to place the site folder on the Web server. The system administrator may also have to create the virtual directory for you and inform you of its name and pathname.

2. Create a virtual directory on your Web server pointing to the folder created in step 1 (or to the development folder of the site if you skipped step 1). (See Creating virtual directories.)

Note: The development folder of your site is the subfolder inside the folder containing the GoLive site file.

Related Subtopics:

Creating virtual directories
How virtual directories work